Based on the new contract proposal presented by Mayor Smith this past Tuesday, it appears that the Southern Shores Town Council is out to break the SSVFD again. As pointed out by the TOSS in two unusual Broadcast emails, the Southern Shores Volunteer Fire Dept., Inc. is a private, non-profit corporation which provides fire, rescue, and emergency management services to the TOSS.
The SSVFD has been both the first responding agency and the majority source of manpower available on a moments notice, handling anything from fires in structures and wild land to first aid, life support, vehicle extrications, Hazardous Materials incidents, structural collapse (technical rescue and recovery), drownings, land search for lost people and assist patients into their homes or vehicles.
All of the above services provided by a dedicated staff of volunteers. With close to 500 dispatches a year these services are provided to the citizens and visitors of Southern Shores and Martins Point on a daily basis.
Emergency Management Services may be a surprise, but the SSVFD has become the Emergency Operations Center for the TOSS. Providing a hardened shelter, with power, food, and a communications center (fire, rescue, police, Coast Guard, and Ham radio), for the SSVFD, SSPD, Dare EMS, and TOSS staff.
All of the above services have been provided in the past 25 years by mutual agreement between the TOSS, Dare County and the SSVFD in a boiler-plate contract.
Suddenly, these past two fiscal years, the TOSS has found the original agreements to be lacking in some form or fashion, leading to often heated discussions, confusion, and the formation of a Fire Service Advisory Board.
The FSAB, was created by the Town Council to investigate the needs of the SSVFD and provide a venue for the formation of recommendations regarding the future relationship between the SSVFD and TOSS.
Contentious at times, this board explored all aspects of the the SSVFD's operations, budgeting (operating and capital), and planning (both near and long term) and produced a position paper presented to the Town Council on October 28th, 2008.
Take time to read these minutes and I think you will see the “cool” manner in which this report was received, pay special attention to the seemingly negative comments of Council members Pfizenmayer and Stroud who were both seated members of the FSAB. Although it appeared the Council would consider these findings, it is now quite apparent that the work of this Board of volunteers has been set aside in favor of some other agenda.
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